Why did the Germans not surrender sooner?

The Nazi’s didn’t surrender because Hitler insisted that the country fought on. Even as Soviet soldiers flooded Berlin, Hitler (supposedly) was still so delusional that he believed that Germany could still rise from the ashes and win the war in some shape or form. In all honesty, by this time, Hitler was mostly insane.

When did Germany officially surrender?

German armed forces surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 9, 1945. Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was proclaimed on May 8, 1945, amid celebrations in Washington, London, Moscow, and Paris.

Were Germany and Soviet Union allies in ww2?

So between 1939 and 1941, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are allies. And Stalin actually provides very substantial support to Nazi Germany. So when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941, this time it was Stalin who is taken by surprise.

When and why did Germans surrender?

May 7, 1945 After heavy fighting, Soviet forces neared Adolf Hitler’s command bunker in central Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Within days, Berlin fell to the Soviets. German armed forces surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 9, 1945.

Who surrendered Germany to the Allies?

General Alfred Jodl
On May 7, 1945, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northeastern France.

Why did the US and USSR become allies in WW2?

The alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II developed out of necessity, and out of a shared realization that each country needed the other to defeat one of the most dangerous and destructive forces of the twentieth century.

Would the Germans surrender to the Allies?

Generally speaking, German forces surrendering to the Western Allies and German civilians coming under the Occupation of the Western Allies had an altogether better chance of survival and of avoiding extreme suffering than those who taken prisoner or occupied by the Soviets. So it was a no-brainer which they would prefer to surrender to.

Did Germany surrender on May 7 or May 9?

On May 7, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Reims, France, ending World War II and the Third Reich. Or did it happen on May 9 in Berlin instead? Both are true. Due to warring ideologies, tussles between the Soviet Union and its allies, and the legacy of the First World War, Germany actually surrendered twice.

How did the Allies treat prisoners of the war in 1945?

Unsurprisingly, by 1945, the Germans had noticed the Soviet soldiers felt that payback time had come, and were not exactly inclined to go easy on those who surrendered or on German civilians in the path of the Soviet advance. Whereas the Western Allies, by and large, respected the Geneva convention and treated prisoners accordingly.

How did the surrender of WW2 affect the civilian population?

The surrender came as a shock to most German civilians, who had been told their military was on the verge of victory. As a result, rumors began to circulate that Germany’s new, civilian government—and other popular scapegoats, such as Marxists and Jews—had stabbed the military in the back.